Emotional Intelligence vs Intelligence Quotient

Emotional Quotient (EQ) is a way to measure how a person recognizes emotions in himself or herself and others, and manages these emotional states to work better as a group or team.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is a value that indicates a person's ability to learn, understand, and apply information and skills in a meaningful way. The major difference between EQ and IQ is what part of a person's mental abilities they measure: understanding emotion or understanding information.

According to you, what kind of Intelligence is more important to achieve success in our lives, careers ?

Dec 4 2013:
IQ and EQ are both instrumental in assuring a person's happiness and ability to succeed. But humans are social animals, which may make EQ a more necessary component to living a happy and successful life. Having a high IQ will definitely offer other advantages, but EQ is more difficult to live without. People with high EQ do not have to have high IQ to succeed because social skills in the workplace and in everyday life are constantly utilized. People with high IQ may be exceptionally brilliant at understanding information, but when it comes to social interaction they may have to work harder to make themselves understood. This is more detrimental than having a lower IQ but a high EQ. According to a recent Forbes article: " Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology shows that 85 percent of your financial success is due to skills in “human engineering,” your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Shockingly, only 15 percent is due to technical knowledge. Additionally, Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t, even if the likeable person is offering a lower quality product or service at a higher price."
Here is the article (also discusses BQ and MQ): http://www.forbes.com/sites/keldjensen/2012/04/12/intelligence-is-overrated-what-you-really-need-to-succeed/

Dec 5 2013:
You're welcome. I agree that BQ and MQ should also be considered in order for us to understand human intelligence. There are many genetic and environmental factors that affect intelligence and many ways to measure intelligence, and if we want to understand how intelligence really works, understanding its many types is where to start!

Nov 23 2013:
To me, a developed EQ means that one should love others (compassionate) as much as one loves himself. In this way, there should never be egotism. And consequently, one would have no negative emotion of jealousy, envy or even hatred on others.These negative emotions make one UNHAPPY, feeling self inadequacy and eventually loathing himself. This kind of behavior usually turns off ones friends, colleagues or bosses, thus could hardly make one successful in anything one does. A successful life almost always comes to a person who is satisfied and happy with others and with himself, and loves to work with others in a group or team.
Therefore, even though high IQ could enhance the chance of a successful life, but EQ is the essential ingredient of happiness. There are many examples of some unhappy people with high IQ, but they are intrinsically miserable and unsatisfied with themselves regardless of their IQ level.

Nov 22 2013:
Just as we need both air and water, we need both sets of skills and understandings to thrive. Some areas of work draw more heavily on one than the other, but life draws heavily on both. Fortunately it is easy enough to develop both through our lives, with no reason to choose one over the other. There needn't always be a winner and a loser, I think.

Dec 1 2013:
Depends on the profession you seek; and still without a good balance of both your'e bound to fail, since less IQ is more likely to chuck you out and with less EQ you might end up with chucking out.

Nov 30 2013:
There has to be an good combination. The problem is that many do not realize or learn the value of both until later in life; however, those that attend a university away from home may be more prone to learning the value of both early. In the case of being employed with both those who attended a four year university and those who attended a non-traditional university or online, the difference is astounding. Yet, if I had to put one over the other, a good grasp of EQ can often cover up a lack of IQ if utilized properly.

Nov 29 2013:
Usually people's IQ are at the similar level, "Two heads better than one","many heads are better than one" are very persuasive and true in our real life. As a matter of fact, we live in a society not with oneself, and some people use EQ to get other's IQ to serve for them. I think Japanese people can be a good example. They don't seem smarter as individuals, but when they combine their heads and powers, they're often much smarter than people from other countries. But the most brilliant people should be who have extrordinarily high IQ as well as good EQ , they don't have any difficulties doing things either by themselves or with other people. And people with high IQ still need hardwork to manifest and realize their inborn talent. EQ can be attained by studying and practicing, so I think if people aren't confident with their IQ, they still can be successful by learning and exerting their EQ wisely.

Nov 28 2013:
I think EQ is the key! More so that EQ can be developed and improved over time, where as IQ is more or less set at birth. I just commented on the question if education can solve all problems.

Nov 26 2013:
I had read that in his early years Einstein had pictures of the great scientists on his walls but that in his latter years he had pictures of the great servants on his walls. Apply that to your IQ/EQ question. Of course, as you may be able to tell, I agree with Bart Hsi below.

Nov 25 2013:
It's just another number that one group can use to bludgeon another. It also allows Human Resource wonks to pull out a number instead of actually doing their job and evaluate candidates as individuals. Read "Mismeasure of Man" by Gould, and you'll see how inherently bankrupt these "quotients" have always been.

Nov 23 2013:
There are many inputs that make a particular person. If you look at an outstanding Medical Doc one would expect to find an INTJ To avoid problems with patients he might have to seem as something else. There are books on that. A great nurse might not only be technically competent but able to relate with people.
Have you ever noticed who you end up talking with after surgery? Okay, it's more complicated and there are so many different jobs. A good Myers-Briggs book like you don't understand me compares personalities with jobs.

Nov 22 2013:
a balance is good. but if i were to have a boss above me id want him/her to be able to understand my own feelings and maybe that im not 50/50 iq and eq but more eq. I think success is needed to balance these and use more of when when the time is needed.

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